Three McGyverish Zit Solutions

Sometimes, even a diligent beauty editor gets caught out there with a big, honking zit on her chin—and without her tools of the trade. Yesterday, I commiserated about my situation with celebrity facialist Mamie McDonald (clients include Iman, Naomi Campbell, and Angela Bassett), and she told three no-frills fixes to try anytime a pimple pops up while you're at your dude's product-barren apartment:

1.) Hydrogen Peroxide Solution. "Soak a cotton swab in it and dab the pimple—it'll kill the bacteria," says McDonald.

2.) Baking Soda. "This is good for when you've got a problem area, and not just one zit," she says. "Mix it with distilled water—it doesn't really form a paste; it's runny—and swipe it over the region with a cotton ball, then leave it on overnight—it'll take down the redness."

3.) Aspirin. "Crush up one tablet and mix it with water to form a thick paste," McDonald says. "Then take a cotton swab and dot it on the blemish. Leave it on overnight, and I think you'll be very happy with what you don't see in the morning."